MAY 31, 2009 - WEEK 11 RESULTS

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 42.9%
Current weight - 143.4 / BMI 25.4 / Body Fat 39.5%
Goal weight - 125
Goal date - September 23, 2009

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1457 Calories
106.8g Fat (67.4%)
91g Protein
33g Carbs
17.2g Fiber
15.8g net carbs, of which 11.9g came from veggies

I weigh on a body compostion scale, so I can tell how much fat, muscle and water I have gained or lost.

Scale weight lost this week - 0 pounds
Fat lost this week - 1.9 pounds
Muscle gained this week - 1.1 pounds
Water gained this week - 0.8 pounds
Total scale weight lost since starting - 6.6 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 4.4% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 12.3%. I have lost 26.4% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 35 pounds of fat, and gain 10 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 8.5 pounds of fat, and gained 1.9 pounds of muscle/water. The testosterone and weight lifting must be starting to work!

I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 12.75 = 1 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 12.00 = 1/4 inch up
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Chest 38.25 - 37.25 = 1 inch down
Midriff 33.00 - 31.00 = 2 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 29.75 = 1-3/4 inches down
Navel 39.25 - 35.75 = 3-1/2 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 39.75 = 2-1/4 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.75 = 1-3/4 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.00 = 1/2 inch down

Total lost this week - 3/4 inches
Bicep gained this week - 1 inch!
Total lost since starting - 15-1/2 inches

I am finally seeing some good weight loss! At Colette's advice, I dropped my calories down to the lowest end of minimum, and, as soon as I did that, I immediately started losing. What a relief!

I am taking my supplements, drinking 72 oz. of water each day, and walking 2.5 miles on a treadmill at 3 mph at least 1 time per week. I do a Hatha Yoga class twice per week. I do the circuit (weigh training) at the gym twice per week.

MAY 24, 2009 - WEEK 10 RESULTS

Beginning weight - 150 / BMI 26.57 / Body Fat 42.9%
Current weight - 143.4 / BMI 25.4 / Body Fat 40.8%
Goal weight - 125
Goal date - September 1, 2009

Here is an average of my daily food intake for this past week:

1440 Calories

107.8g Fat (67.4%)

90.2g Protein

27.1g Carbs

13.4g Fiber

13.7g net carbs, of which 10g came from veggies

Total lost this week - 1.1 pounds
Total lost since starting - 6.6 pounds

Since starting, I have lost 4.4% of my total body weight. I need to lose another 12.3%. I have lost 26.4% of the 25 pounds I need to lose.

According to my doctor, I needed to lose 35 pounds of fat, and gain 10 pounds of muscle. So far, I have lost 6.6 pounds of fat, but I have not yet gained any muscle. The testosterone and weight lifting should get that started!

The weight loss has been slow but steady, and I've also been keeping track of my measurements on fitday. I measure every Sunday.

Neck 13.75 - 12.75 = 1 inch down
Bicep 11.75 - 11.5 = 1/4 inch down
Forearm 9.00 - 9.00 = same
Chest 38.25 - 37.25 = 1 inch down
Midriff 33.00 - 31.00 = 2 inches down
Waist 31.50 - 30.00 = 1-1/2 inches down
Navel 39.25 - 36.00 = 3-1/4 inches down (the heart health zone, so this is great!)
Hips 42.00 - 40.00 = 2 inches down
Thigh 24.50 - 22.75 = 1-3/4 inches down
Calf 14.50 - 14.00 = 1/2 inch down

Total lost this week - 1-1/2 inches
Total lost since starting - 15-1/4 inches

I am finally seeing some good weight loss! At Colette's advice, I dropped my calories down to the lowest end of minimum, and, as soon as I did that, I immediately started losing. What a relief!

I am taking my supplements, drinking 64 oz. or more of water each day, and walking 2.5 miles on a treadmill at 3 mph at least 1 time per week. I do a Pilates class once per week, and a Hatha Yoga class twice per week. My doctor ordered me to start my weight training, which I did the other day.

MAY 22, 2009 - WHY I GET ON THE SCALE EVERY DAY

I have heard people say to weigh yourself every day, and others say only do it once a week. I even heard one person say to get a pair of pants that are too small and try to zip them up every morning, to see if it gets any easier! Now, that's a scale-aphobic!

Here's what I do: I weigh every day. I keep my weight on a chart on my computer (but a piece of paper will do just fine). Each day I record what the scale says, and next to it, I record the average of the last seven days, and I consider that average to be my "true weight". My weight fluctuates so wildly, that I can gain 3 pounds overnight! Looking at my average, I can eliminate temporary water weight, which can sometimes be gone by the next day. Works for me!

What doesn't work for me is weighing once a week. Because of weight fluctuations, there is a possibility that the very day I weigh is the day I was retaining fluid. Maybe the next day it would have been gone. But now I spend a whole week thinking I've gained weight when I really haven't.

If you haven't tried averaging, why not see if you find it as encouraging as I do?

Little confession here: If my average is lower than my scale weight, I consider it my true weight. If my actual weight is lower than my average, I consider that my true weight!

(I need all the encouragement I can get!)

MAY 22, 2009 - I NEED A NEW BATHROOM SCALE!

My old scale only tells me my weight, and even that is only in half pound increments. So I just went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get a new one. There were a lot of different models! I settled on one that:

1. Has a memory for up to 12 people

2. Weighs to 0.2 lbs or 0.1 kgs

3. Measures body fat, body water, muscle mass and bone mass and

4. Tells how many calories to eat to maintain my weight

I have to say that I am a little disappointed in it, though. I might just take it back for a refund. I thought it was one of those that also measures:

1. How many inches I have lost

2. How much health I have gained

3. How many less diseases I will get, like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and stroke

4. How much energy I have gained

5. How much happiness I have gained

6. How much satisfaction I have gained by turning my life around and

7. How many people have said, "Have you lost some weight?"

I guess a scale like that would cost a lot more than the $60 I just spent!

In the meantime, I think I may be expecting too much from my bathroom scale. I guess it doesn't really show me the whole picture, does it?

MAY 22, 2009 - STARTING WEIGHT TRAINING TODAY

I finally had my orientation with the trainer at the gym I recently joined. At my doctor's orders, I am starting weight training, using the machines.

Bill and I went through each machine and learned how to use it. We've belonged to a gym before, so we're not unfamiliar. Pretty simple. They have a chart that I can carry around with me to record my weight and reps, so I won't have to carry around my sad little scrap of paper like at the last place, which shall remain nameless (Cardinal Fitness).

I'm not going into it happily, though. Because of my past lack of testosterone, working out with weights has never increased my muscle mass. It turns out that you can work out hard with weights for months on end, and if your body has no testosterone, you will not build muscle. So it has always been a discouraging attempt in the past.

But now I have my testosterone implants, and that should make all the difference. And yet... bad attitude going in. (sigh)

On the way home from the orientation, I told Bill that I hesitate to start, because I'm afraid I will not be able to stick to it for the rest of my life!!! I can't imagine having to go there two or three times a week from now on!!!

Here is what I am hoping: If the weight lifting actually works this time and I build muscle and get toned up and look great, it will make me want to keep going. Maybe the reason I don't want to go is all tangled up in the failures to build muscle in the past.

I told the trainer that my doctor wants me to put on 10 pounds of muscle and lose another 29 pounds of fat. She said I should not do what most women do, which is a little bit of weight with 8 to 12 reps. That is a way to get toned and not necessarily build a lot of additional muscle. She said I should do heavier weights and 5 to 6 reps, and really push myself harder than normal. However, I should start slow for the first few times and then start doing the heavier stuff.

I will try what she says. If all of this works, I may be posting that new bikini shot after all!